


A Mother and her Son

by ProbablyConcerned



Category: Mario & Luigi RPG (Video Games)
Genre: Motherhood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-27
Updated: 2020-04-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 10:13:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23349718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProbablyConcerned/pseuds/ProbablyConcerned
Summary: This will be a series of short stories ranging from all sort of different times in Cackletta's life after she met Fawful, her struggling raising him, the good memories, and a final memento she leaves for him in her absence.Discontinued until further notice
Kudos: 12





	1. Silent Night, Unholy Blight

There was a hint of something wrong in the air, almost as if the night itself knew what deeds would be committed on this night. Up near Stardust fields there was a home, hidden away between the crystals and the gorgeous stars that watch overhead. Footsteps clinked on the crystals as the stars prepared to bear witness to a horrific event. The sound that rose from each step belonged to none other than a woman with a stringy figure and a mission to fulfill. This woman's name was Cackletta, a member of the royal council for the Beanbean kingdom and a long time ally to the Queen and her family. With the Queen's son newly born, it was only natural that Cackletta be sent on such a bloody task. Any other reasonable creature would've been concerned about the life of their newborn, and the threats that came to it's life. The world had an awful shade of grey on this night, as if the color itself was scared to show its face, for fear of what it may watch. There wasn't a single thing that she wouldn't do for the Queen, and if you choose to see it that way, she was about to prove that.

She reached the home, it used a poorly set up magic spell to protect from anyone seeing it. If this all went right, there wouldn't be a need to keep that spell set up, no one would be living there anymore. There were not any lights on, as it should've been, it was far too late into the night now for any reasonable person to still be up without purpose. Good. No one needed to know what was to be done here, no one except the one who ordered it, and the one who was here now to carry the order out. Grabbing at the doorknob of the front door, she turned it slowly, just to check if it had been unlocked, if her job would be easy. It opened without any noise, and now that small home lay before her. All that was stopping her now was her hesitance to enter. Taking a few quiet steps into the living room, the sounds of the outdoors became a whisper as all she heard was the silent breathing of a sleeping pair, laid in another room. Cackletta was about to bestow upon them a wish everyone has, one that children and grownups alike wish for. To die in their sleep. 

Tip toeing as to not wake them up, Cackletta made her way to the small bedroom, avoiding the door on the right, and entering a room where that couple lay in their bed, holding each other closely in an embrace that would make killing them so much easier. She hummed a quiet spell that summoned a flame to her hand that progressively got brighter and brighter as she slowly went around the bed until she stopped right beside them, the flame in her hand burning with the intense fury of an inferno, illuminating the determination in her eyes, there wasn't a single moment of doubt or shame before she threw her hand down on the unsuspecting two. What followed was a series of blood curdling screams as the two were burned into ashes of who they once were. They weren't able to put up much of a fight, and in the end, they succumbed to the flames and smoke that strangled them to death in its hold. All that was left of them was dust and the smell of burning plants as the night drew quiet once again. 

Cackletta sighed with relief that her job was over, that she could go home and this night would be over. She left the bedroom, not even taking a second to think on what she had done before a shrill cry cut through the once again peaceful silence. For a second, Cackletta thought it was a monster, a demon of some sort, that had come to take vengeance on her and her actions before she realized that it wasn't that at all. It was a baby. Cackletta went into the room she avoided before with no care about who heard her now, she rushed in with her steps pounding on the floor before she got to it. She was right, there was a baby crying in a crib, most definitely woken up from the show her fire had just put on. For a moment, Cackletta just stared down at the kid and their whining as she had taken in how this kid was connected to those two people she had just killed. This was their son. They had a child and here he was and… she wasn't sure if she could've carried out this mission if it meant a child went orphaned. What was she going to do? Did Queen Bean know these two had a kid? No, she would've mentioned him, she would've made a point to say that a child would have ruined her stealth easily. The kid's wailing got louder and louder before she made a split second decision that would change the course of her life. She held up the child, shushing him before gently holding him in a hug, his crying slowly dripping into quiet whines before he fell asleep in her arms. For a second, she considered putting him back in the crib, to alert Queen Bean to him and then never see him again, but as she held him in her arms, she knew there was only one way to make things right for this kid. She began walking out of the home, carefully holding the boy and thinking on how she would feed him and bed him, already planning for a future of caring for a child mentally.


	2. Hold the Most Important Things Close to Your Heart

Home was where she would've gone first if a sudden change of plans hadn't stopped Cackletta with her original plan so late in the night. Coming into the possession of a child after killing it's parents wasn't usually the way someone adopted a child. Queen bean would understand right? Afterall, she was the one who tasked Cackletta with the duty of making sure a couple of traitors didn't wake up tomorrow. It if wasn't for her, she probably wouldn't have ever hiked up Stardust fields and down it carrying a baby in her arms had the Queen said nothing. Cackletta resolved in her mind to blame the Queen for this. Perhaps it was the only way she subconsciously knew that she would ever accept that she pulled the trigger causing these events. Queen Bean only told her what to do. Cackletta could've left the country if she truly didn't believe what she was doing was okay, all she had to do was cross the border to the Mushroom Kingdom. No, this position meant too much to her. Besides, the people here couldn't be any more dull than the people in the next country over, one being Fungi and the people here being beans, well they didn't seem much too different at all when put like that.

She was the only one running through the Beanbean kingdom this early in the morning and as she passed by houses she could see that a few had a dim light in their room. Illuminating a person getting ready for work, or someone checking on their newborn. Cackletta took this moment to look down at her child with her legs tired from all the running around. Who was he going to become? Would he be like these other people, working everyday with a goal in sight? A part of her hoped for a split second, that he would do more. For her, these people around her went through a boring daily routine everyday, and while she would never admit that each day for her felt like a routine, she had to admit, there was something different about the small orphan that slept soundly in her arms. It was a fleeting feeling, but it had still been there nonetheless. Finally, reaching the castle she saw the morning guards sitting at their post. They welcomed Cackletta with a wave barely even noticing the child she was holding. It seemed they had just woken up themselves with the little to no reaction they had to the baby. In a way, she preferred this, because the more anyone stopped her for questions, the longer this night, and now morning, was going to be. 

Heading into the throne room, it seemed as if Queen Bean herself had just woken up. It was odd seeing her tired, with how much of a morning bird she usually is, but as she tiredly looked down at the cradle next to her and swung it back and forth slowly with a smile, it wasn't hard to figure out why she was so tired. She looked up with a wistful expression at Cackletta as her face grew a more dark expression outlining a hint of worry. "Is it done? Are they-" she spoke quietly as to not be heard, but was stopped as she saw what was in her cohort's arms. "My my Cackletta! Is that…? But where did you find…" The witch probably could've said this a lot better had the last time she had gotten sleep wasn't almost a day ago, but she exhaustedly said, "Turns out, you're not the only one who can have kids." Queen Bean's mouth hung open completely, she was a lot less shocked at what Cackletta said, and more at the existence of a child in that home. "What? But…" Queen Bean looked completely baffled before she turned to a Pea and said, "Go get me Lady Lima." The Pea nodded happily and said, "With pleasure, your highness!" And hopped off to go grab the lady she requested to see. 

Queen Bean looked at her own baby and then at the child Cackletta was holding then said, "You know, he doesn't look older than a year does he? Based on his size, I wouldn't give him six months…three at the most but that's stretching my beliefs a little." Cackletta knew what this was, awkward, small talk. It was probably trying to distract her from the issue at hand, being who would care for this child, even if Cackletta knew what she was going to do. She thought about it a lot in fact, it was the only thing she could think about on her trip down. "I suppose so…" Cackletta said quietly, before she looked up and Queen Bean and spoke with her usual authority that her voice grounded. "Queen Bean, I hope you'll see it as no issue, but I would like to become this child's legal guardian. You could've almost said that Queen Bean's eyes popped out of her head. If anything could wake her up, that certainly did the trick. "Are you certain? Cackletta, caring for a child is a lot of work and…" Queen bean wracked her head trying to think of other things that might stop Cackletta from raising a child. She hadn't made herself look like the most compassionate creature in existence, so it was an understandable reaction, but Cackletta stood firm in her decision. "My dearest Queen, I'll hope you know, that if I've left this child without parents like we believe, then I am willing to own up to it. For the child's sake of course. If his parents are alive and well, we can just bring him back to them and investigate why they were letting conspirators handle their child. If that is not the case, then I will take the child under my care and raise him to the best of my abilities." Queen Bean looked down at her own child with an uncertain look. "Cackletta, I'm just not sure that-" "Please. Let me do this. There isn't any guarantee someone will take him if we just put him in an orphanage." Queen Bean was silent for a while, before she nodded her head. "Alright."

Lady Lima shuffled into the room with a Pea by her side and nodded her head. "You require me, my liege?" Queen Bean gave Lady Lima a nervous but knowing look and said, "Do we have any records on the family tree of the Fabaceae's?" Lady Lima looked up with surprise, "Oh? That lovely couple on Stardust fields? Of course!" Lady Lima went off to go get the family records as the weight of a carried secret quietly sank in between the two elites in the room. Cackletta knew that she was probably going to have to run up there and put a more efficient cloaking spell on that house. It was a lot easier than just destroying the home and perhaps a familiar crib would be better for the child… Cackletta caught herself thinking far too ahead of herself. Stay grounded in the here and now. Right here something is happening, the future is uncertain, give it some time. She couldn't help but look at that small light in her arms however. He seemed like the most colorful thing in a room that seemed like a massacre of any palette whatsoever. Her eyes of hers were a sort of curse and blessing. Seeing only what had pure intentions in color. This took away the beauty from nature as scenery can't intend to do anything, and people were often corrupt things. It was upsetting, especially sense neutral intentions, something that couldn't be aligned like going to work or just doing your job in general, didn't get color. It was all grey. Disgustingly flavorless. The baby sighed in her arms. What a beautifully painted creature.

Lady Lima returned with a rolled up parchment in her hands and handed it off to the Queen. She turned, gave a wave to the Prince in his cradle as the Queen smiled at this gesture before Lady Lima stepped back next to Cackletta at an appropriate distance and asked, "Is that all, my Queen?" The Beanish Queen shook her head no and said, "That'll be all. I'll call you once more if you are needed." Lady Lima took a bow before making her way out the room and Queen Bean opened the paper in her hand, searching for the names on the tree that she needed. There was an odd feeling in Cackletta's stomach, playing with her nerves as she looked down once again at the baby in her arms. She couldn't admit it, but it would've broken her heart to see this child go in the wrong hands. What if he had neglectful parents? That's why he was at another house, oh if they show within a mile of her, she'd burn them to- "Well Cackletta. I can't believe it." Cackletta was torn from her dark thoughts at just the right moment. Queen Bean's face was filled with shock. "They had a child. His name is Phaseolus Fabaceae, he is three months old and was born on February 10th." Phaseolus? What an awful name! The poor kid was going to get picked on at school with a name like that! Cackletta knew she could spell it, but what seven year old child was going to take a name like that seriously?! "Well Cackletta, I suppose the kid is yours. I'll have to get you to sign some papers of course, legal things, of course, you know how we do things, but I trust you, so I'll just have them mailed to your home and you can sign them there, hopefully with," Queen Bean pointed to the baby in her arms. "Him there too." She gave a sort of warm smile looking at her own and then at the other child and said, "He's a bit small for a three month old baby isn't he? Oh well, I guess we all aren't born with baby fat." Looking back at her own baby, she stuck a finger in and let the tiny hand inside hold onto it. "You think he'd make a good playmate for Peasley when they're both older?" "Perhaps so my Queen, if you don't mind, I'd really like to rename him." The Queen didn't look too surprised by that one. Seems like she agreed with the name thing too. 

She kind of laughed for a second before she looked over at Cackletta. "So, you have any ideas on what you're naming him?" Cackletta had to think on this question. It had been a family tradition passed down from generation to generation to name the oldest child in the family with something that related to laughter. Granted, Cackletta had hoped to put this tradition to end since she never planned to have a child but here she was. As she looked down at the kid in her arms she had a feeling, he would be just as powerful as the colors that came off him like waves. As such, he would be named after a laugh that's just as powerful. Guffaw. Taking the end of that word, turning it into a beginning, she workshopped her own name, one that she was awfully proud of.

"His name… I'll name him Fawful."


	3. Reaching For Comfort

Oftentimes when someone has just gotten a child, many people try to play games with the kid. Maybe you think a game of peekaboo or got your nose is a fun activity to do with a baby. Cackletta didn't just have those games, but she had magical games, and as she was adjusting to having a child in her home, having just mailed back the papers all required to keep and rename him, little Fawful was very well rested, and very much interested with these new surroundings. As the tyke watched everything overhead and responded in little giggly coos, Cackletta was thinking of any sort of game she could play while she hadn't really got any toys yet. She had been so stuck in thought in fact, that she hadn't noticed that her baby had been cooing at her as she passed the makeshift crib she had made with a basket and bunches of blankets. Looking down at her child a second as she passed by, she watched Fawful put his arms up and his tiny hands trying to catch hold of her from so far away. He was so small, and so far away from her that she was surprised he thought he could grab her, but nonetheless she walked forward and kneeled down to the basket on the floor, putting in a finger as she tried to keep him entertained. "It's okay little one, Cackletta is going to-" she was suddenly surprised when realizing the baby she was trying to entertain took her finger and started gnawing on it. He didn't even have teeth yet. He wasn't even close to getting his first tooth until sometime in September, three months from now. Even if the lackluster chewing was kind of cute for a baby, it felt disgusting for Cackletta. She stomached it for a little bit though, before pulling her hand back slowly and rushing to the kitchen to wash her hands, the giggling baby kicking his little feet in excitement.

Cackletta expressed a silent disgust about the silica on her hand as she washed it off, gagging a second before listening to the baby giggle louder. Sure he didn't mean any harm, but the witch was a bit of a clean freak when it came to her own hygiene, never staying messy for long. Drying off her hand she heard the giggling slowly stop, and it was quickly replaced with sounds of whining and the start of crying. She looked over to the basket where the baby started crying with a bit of alarm. How did he get upset that quickly? Did he want a toy that badly? Cackletta had to do some thinking on the spot as it was hard to focus on a spell with a baby loudly crying, but she wasn't known as the Greatest Witch in the Beanbean kingdom for nothing. Cackletta materialized an illusion of a Bean Kitten that couldn't hurt the baby, but would sit there and play with the child. For a second, it seemed to work. Fawful was now much interested in this new creature that came into view. It didn't last long however, not even for a third of a minute, as the curiosity quickly dissipated and he began crying again. Cackletta was so certain that her idea would've worked that she couldn't even believe she heard crying at first. She whisked away the illusion entirely, rushing over to the basket on the ground and getting down on her knees again to make sure the child was okay. She saw the baby open up his eyes as he cried, but his wailing went silent a second as he reached his small arms towards Cackletta. 

It felt weird to her, that someone, anyone for that matter, wanted to well...hug her. Everyone and everything always felt so distant. So seeing a creature that not only wanted to be close to her, to be as close as possible, it was odd. She picked up the baby carefully, listening to him whine a little more as he continued to reach more for her, closing and opening his teeny hands like he could almost grab her until he did. His hands grasping the fabric on her clothing as tight as a baby could manage and Cackletta held him in a hug as the room drew silent. Was this what family was? It was a strange feeling. She didn't ever want to put the boy down, and he didn't ever want to let go of her so it seemed. She never had this sort of connection with her own mother, or her father for that matter. It never really bothered her until she thought about it now. She couldn't trust her own parents to hold onto her the way this baby put so much faith into her. For a second, it made her feel cold for the things she missed, what she could've had, but then, the idea of what she could give to this child, something that she never had...well. To put it lightly, it was exhilarating. The child started to breathe softly in her arms as she was lost in thought. He was already falling asleep. He was such a bright little thing, looking at Fawful was like looking at a small candle, flickering bright as he was protected from wind and other elements. He made everything in the room seem much more vibrant, and although it had to have been her mind playing tricks on her, he seemed to make the room more colorful. What a pure heart. It seemed as if nothing could taint the feeling in his heart as he finally fell asleep, sleeping soundly and snuggling his small head into her much larger body. She held like this a while. Not even recalling why she had him in the first place, those feelings of regret couldn't touch her when she saw how happy he was to be held in her arms. 

It was all she needed.


	4. Ash of The Past

Cackletta was walking home with a very special gift for Fawful. Technically, it had been a gift for her originally, from Lady Lima as a late gift in celebration of her birthday, but that day had long since passed, and she had no use for a cloak. Besides, Beanish clothes were almost never her size, she was a bit too tall for this cloak, and many other cloaks for that matter. As she carried it home in her arms, she could only wonder what the color even looked like. What was red? Based on the name, and the shade of grey it took on, perhaps it was bold and eye catching. That's all she had to guess, you would think at her age, she in her late thirties, would already know this, but the sad truth was, no one ever really wore red in this kingdom. It was like a secret fashion police was cracking down on anyone wearing the color red. She just never had seen it before. Perhaps it wasn't a very beautiful color, no one ever talked about how wonderful red was. Usually the praise was all about blue or purple, even some pink, but she had never heard anyone say how they adored a bright red. She could only assume it was just an unlikable color, and if Cackletta could see it, she might've been mad with Lady Lima, and not just for getting something not her size and a few weeks late from her birthday.

Approaching the door to her home, she put the cloak into one hand, and with the other, she began making a circular motion as she pointed at the door, quietly mumbling her password to unlock the door. "Aperi ianuam...aperi ianuam…" as she continued repeating her words over and over, casting a spell that causes the lock in the door to undo itself and open the door slightly, enough for Cackletta to go quiet again and open the door. It was early August, and the summer weather seemed to be melting into every home in the Beanish kingdom, but not for Cackletta's home. She made sure that everything was always in the right conditions for her baby. Afterall, she was a witch, if she left her baby alone without any supervision, she'd probably never forgive herself. No, she had a magical specter keeping watch over the baby. Dispelling the illusion as she entered the home, she heard immediate crying. She caught herself sighing to herself as she forgot he did that. He always wanted someone on sight that he could trust. It was an odd quirk for the kid, a slightly annoying one if she forgot about it, like now, but a quirk nonetheless. She headed into the room where Fawful almost seemed to be watching the door, expecting her to show up, because he was sitting up in his crib and looking straight at the door, and his tiny eyes lit up upon seeing Cackletta. He started whining and reaching towards her, like he required affection every second of the day. It wasn't like Cackletta was complaining entirely, it felt nice to have someone want you for a reason that wasn't business related. 

Cackletta held Fawful in one arm and began draping him with the red cloak with her other hand with a smile and quiet laugh, as the boy who seemed to have only grown about maybe an inch in his three months with Cackletta made questioning noises about the strange item being wrapped around him like a blanket. He looked on with confusion as he tightened one of his fists in the cloak, grabbing such a little piece of the material and studying it with whatever knowledge a six month old baby could have. Eventually he just settled in and snuggled himself into the cloak with a tiny sigh and he closed his eyes. As he drifted away into a dreamland, Cackletta held him gently with both her arms, rocking him back and forth. His warmth as he slipped into slumber was a silent reminder of why such a bright, colorful, bundle of joy was in arms. The warmth tugged at her mind and tried to remind her of the fire that started this all. She shifted the blame on the Queen again. Blaming her for the loss of this kid's parents. It might not happen today, next week, years from now, or even in her lifetime, she would never acknowledge that even if she had been given the job, she was the one who carried it out. It was something she simply refused to accept as she put the boy down in his crib and went into the kitchen to make formula for Fawful.

It isn't hard to make formula for a Beanish baby, watery dirt tends to have all the nutrients that a developing Bean would need for growing. She already had a bag of high quality dirt in the kitchen, all she did to prepare the bottle was fill it halfway with dirt, halfway with water from the running tap, screw the top on, and then shake the bottle to mix it all together. "He should be going onto solids soon," Cackletta said to herself, "I wonder why he hasn't grown out of the taste of this yet…" another thing about Beanish babies is that the six month mark was usually when you start feeding the crushed up fruits, berries, and the baby starts getting a distaste for dirt as a sign they need to move forward. It's only a good enough source of nutrients for so long, and the baby starting to hate the taste is a sign that it needs more nutrient rich foods. Not only at that time, would the baby be ready to eat them, but be able to. This was such a mysterious case with Fawful, because he didn't seem to be outgrowing dirt at all. "Perhaps I'll just have to give him solids next time I come back in from town." The trek to her job everyday was a little dangerous with a baby, but it wasn't something she couldn't easily solve with magic. Until Fawful was old enough to come with her, he would be babysat by the illusion of herself. 

Walking back into Fawful's room, she marveled at how such a small creature even existed. Babies are quite the miracle aren't they? Some are big, some are small, some start as chunky beans and lose that overtime while others never really lose that at all. Humans called it baby fat if they were a chunky baby, but Cackletta had no idea what Beanish called it. Cackletta's mother never mentioned her having 'baby fat'. Sometimes she told her kid that she was so thin, it was remarkable she was alive. It was never said in a nice way, or in a surprised tone, it was almost like she was being mocked for being a beanpole of a person. That's what kids at school called her. Beanpole. Oh how she despised that nickname. She wanted to burn it just as easily as when she burned-

Cackletta stopped herself as she noticed her hand starting to smoke up. Looking over at Fawful, she hoped he would look normal. She didn't know what she would do if kids bullied him.


End file.
